2019 Columbus Crew SC season

On December 21, 2018, Crew SC officially announced its preseason schedule, with three confirmed matches. The club began preseason by spending two days in Lewis Center, Ohio before traveling to Chula Vista, California, for a week-long training camp. On January 21, Columbus announced the addition of two friendly matches, both taking place while the club trains in California and behind closed doors. Crew SC began their friendlies by playing Japanese club Vissel Kobe to a 0–0 draw, and followed up the draw with a 1–0 victory over Mexican club Tijuana.^[1] An ACL tear to Milton Valenzuela ended his 2019 season before it ever started, which caused Crew SC to acquire former player Waylon Francis for cover.^[2] The following preseason game, the club beat fellow MLS side Los Angeles FC 4–2. A Jonathan Mensah own goal followed by a Patrick Mullens strike meant that Columbus were deadlocked at halftime, before scoring three goals in the second half – a brace by JJ Williams and a goal by Justin Meram.^[3] After another week in Ohio, Columbus traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to play in the Carolina Challenge Cup, where Crew SC would tie the first two games 1–1, coming from behind to tie in both games, with goals scored by Gyasi Zardes and Robinho, respectively. The final match of the Carolina Challenge Cup had Columbus facing off against FC Cincinnati, where Columbus emerged victorious, winning 3–0 off a Zardes brace and Pedro Santos goal, and claiming the Carolina Challenge Cup for the third consecutive season.^[4]

Columbus Crew SC v   Vissel Kobe

January 28 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	0–0	Vissel Kobe	Irvine, CA
10:00 PM EST	Crognale	Report	Wellington	Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
Note: Match was played with 35-minute halves.[5]

Columbus Crew SC v   Tijuana

January 31 Friendly	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	Tijuana	Chula Vista, CA
1:00 PM EST	44'	Report		Stadium: Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center Attendance: 0

The 2019 Major League Soccer schedule was released by the league on January 7, 2019^[6]

Crew SC's season began with a 1–1 draw at home to the New York Red Bulls on March 2, with a headed goal from Gastón Sauro off of a corner from Federico Higuaín. That goal would be Sauro's first for the club. Robinho would come in to the game in the 79th minute to make his Crew SC debut, while Waylon Francis made his return to the Black and Gold after spending the 2018 season with the Seattle Sounders. The following week led Crew SC to Foxborough to take on the New England Revolution, where Columbus would earn their first road win on the season due in part to two goals by Gyasi Zardes and a penalty save by Zack Steffen, while this loss for the Revolution snapped their 12-game home opener unbeaten streak.^[7][8] On March 16, Columbus would earn their third straight result, a 1–0 win thanks to a Sauro header off of a corner – this time from Pedro Santos. Justin Meram recorded his 200th regular-season appearance for Crew SC in this game as well.^[9] Columbus visited Philadelphia on March 23 and suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat as Crew SC had two debuts for the club: Joe Bendik and JJ Williams.^[10] The first month of the 2019 season ended on a high note as Crew SC beat Atlanta United 2–0 on a wet evening in Columbus, with Pedro Santos scoring in the second minute Gyasi Zardes scoring in the 39th. This contest would be Harrison Afful's 100th regular-season appearance for Crew SC.^[11]

The month of April was turbulent for Columbus as they managed to score just two goals in the entire month. The first was on an April 6th clash at home against the Revolution. A headed goal from Josh Williams from a Higuaín set-piece, as well as a double yellow card by the Revolution's Michael Mancienne gave Crew SC a 1–0 win. The following week, the club were blanked in Montréal on the 13th, and then travelled home for two straight games, a 3–1 loss versus Portland on the 20th, with the loan Columbus goal being scored by Santos via a chip over goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. This was Columbus's first home loss on the year.^[12] Crew SC completed their second straight home match with a 1–0 loss midweek versus D.C. United, and subsequently followed that shutout with a second one, a 2–0 loss at Houston.

The first match in May led to similar results as the previous four. while in the nation's capital, D.C. United took the lead when Luciano Acosta capitalized on a deflection from a set piece. Just before halftime, Wayne Rooney converted a penalty in stoppage time following a handball by Wil Trapp. In the 61st minute, Paul Arriola extended D.C. United's lead to 3–0 with a far-post shot. Crew SC pulled one back in the 75th minute when a Robinho corner slipped through goalkeeper Bill Hamid's hands and into the net.^[13] in the following match, Crew SC got back to their winning ways, beating an LA Galaxy side at home 3–1, with Zardes, Higuain and Hector Jimenez scoring the goals. This was Jimenez's first goal in over five years. History was also made in this game, as Higuain passed Robert Warzycha for the most assists in the regular season for the Black and Gold, while David Guzmán made his Columbus Debut as well.^[14] The May 11th clash was against another Los Angeles side - league leaders in Los Angeles FC. A game which saw the Crew SC debut of David Accam was largely forgettable, as Crew SC lost 3–0 at Mapfre Stadium.^[15] The following weekend was a shutout loss at Minnesota United, with the only goal of the match coming in the 70th minute from former Crew SC player Ethan Finlay.^[16] on May 25, After Columbus came back from two one-goal deficits, the Colorado Rapids secured a 3–2 victory with an 89th-minute goal in Commerce City, Colorado. The Rapids opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Tommy Smith headed in a Jack Price corner at the near post. Crew SC responded five minutes later with Pedro Santos scoring from his left foot after a headed pass from Héctor Jiménez. Colorado regained the lead in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, as Jonathan Lewis's low shot deflected into the near post. In the 54th minute, Columbus equalized again when Federico Higuaín's cross found Gyasi Zardes, who redirected the ball past Tim Howard. The match remained level until the 89th minute, when Colorado's Nicolás Mezquida capitalized on a loose ball from a corner, tucking it into the top-left corner for the game-winner.^[17] Injury news befell the team, as Designated Player Federico Higuaín tore his ACL during this game and would miss the remainder of the season.^[18]

Beginning in June, the final match before the Gold Cup break, Columbus took on New York City FC at home and scored first, with the goal coming in the 28th minute via a penalty kick taken by Zardes. NYCFC scored second in the 57th minute to tie it up, only for Pedro Santos to net four minutes later to allow Columbus a one-goal lead. Columbus, however, would not hold on to this lead as NYCFC scored in the 76th minute to take one point from Columbus. This game would be the final game for Zack Steffen in Columbus, as he transferred to Manchester City on July 9th.^[19] After the Gold Cup break and the resumption of league play, Columbus were shut out in back-to-back games at home, first losing 1–0 to Sporting Kansas City, including a red card shown to Harrison Afful, followed by a 2–0 loss to Orlando City.^{[20] [21]}

The club's torrid form continued into July, with Columbus once again getting shut out, this time in Sandy, Utah by Real Salt Lake, 1–0. This game marked the Crew SC debut for homegrown Aboubacar Keita.^[22] On July 6, Crew SC scored their first goal in league play in over a month while facing off against the Seattle Sounders. Pedro Santos tucked home a penalty in the 14th minute. Columbus would wind up losing, as Nico Lodeiro scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to put his club ahead 2–1 and snatch an away victory for the Sounders.^[23]

Source: MLS standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

On December 20, 2018, the league announced the home openers for every club. Columbus will make their season debut at Mapfre Stadium on the opening day of the season, playing host to New York Red Bulls – the team that eliminated Crew SC from the playoffs in 2017. Columbus will also take part in the home-opening matches for two other clubs, with a trip to Gillette Stadium to face New England Revolution on March 9 and a visit to Saputo Stadium to take on Montreal Impact on April 13.^[24]

Columbus Crew SC   v   Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

June 11 Fourth round	Columbus Crew SC	1–0	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT	Accam   55'	Report		Stadium: Mapfre Stadium Attendance: 5,202 Referee: Matthew Franz

Columbus Crew SC   v   Atlanta United FC

June 18 Round of 16	Columbus Crew SC	2–3	Atlanta United FC	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT	Accam   40' Mullins   42' Crognale   51' Harrison   67' Guzan   71' (o.g.) D. Guzmán   86'	Report	Vazquez   5', 65' Robinson   14' Meram   19' González Pírez   52' Barco   90+3'	Stadium: Mapfre Stadium Attendance: 8,659 Referee: Guido Gonzalez

As of match played October 6, 2019^[25]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Signed in	Previous club	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Eloy Room		GK	(1989-02-06)February 6, 1989 (aged 30)	2019	PSV	12	0
24	Jon Kempin		GK	(1993-04-08)April 8, 1993 (aged 26)	2018	LA Galaxy	10	0
Defenders
3	Josh Williams		CB, RB, LB	(1988-04-18)April 18, 1988 (aged 31)	2017	Toronto FC	142	9
4	Jonathan Mensah		CB	(1990-07-13)July 13, 1990 (aged 29)	2017	Anzhi Makhachkala	85	3
14	Waylon Francis		LB	(1990-09-20)September 20, 1990 (aged 29)	2019	Seattle Sounders FC	111	0
19	Milton Valenzuela		DF	(1998-08-13)August 13, 1998 (aged 21)	2019	Newell's Old Boys	34	1
21	Alex Crognale		CB	(1994-08-27)August 27, 1994 (aged 25)	2017	Maryland Terrapins	38	1
25	Harrison Afful		RB	(1986-07-24)July 24, 1986 (aged 33)	2015	ES Tunis	132	6
30	Aboubacar Keita		CB, LB	(2000-04-06)April 6, 2000 (aged 19)	2019	Virginia Cavaliers	10	0
31	Connor Maloney		RB, LB	(1995-05-18)May 18, 1995 (aged 24)	2017	Penn State Nittany Lions	15	0
Midfielders
2	Luis Argudo		DM, LM, RM, AM, LW	(1995-12-13)December 13, 1995 (aged 23)	2018	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	44	1
6	Wil Trapp		DM, CM	(1993-01-15)January 15, 1993 (aged 26)	2013	Akron Zips	205	2
7	Pedro Santos		RM, LM, AM, RW, LW, LB	(1988-04-22)April 22, 1988 (aged 31)	2017	Braga	82	12
8	Artur		DM, AM, CM	(1996-03-11)March 11, 1996 (aged 23)	2018	São Paulo	95	1
9	David Guzmán		DM, AM, CM	(1990-02-18)February 18, 1990 (aged 29)	2019	Portland Timbers	18	0
10	Federico Higuaín		AM	(1984-10-25)October 25, 1984 (aged 34)	2012	Colón	210	59
13	Ricardo Clark		DM	(1983-02-10)February 10, 1983 (aged 36)	2018	Houston Dynamo	20	1
16	Hector Jiménez		RM, LM, RB, LB	(1988-11-03)November 3, 1988 (aged 30)	2014	LA Galaxy	141	2
18	Luis Díaz		RM, LM, RW	(1998-12-06)December 6, 1998 (aged 20)	2019	Herediano	13	2
20	Eduardo Sosa		AM, LM, CM	(1996-06-20)June 20, 1996 (aged 23)	2018	Zamora	19	1
29	David Accam		LM, RM, LW	(1990-07-28)July 28, 1990 (aged 29)	2019	Philadelphia Union	17	4
34	Youness Mokhtar		LM, RM, LW	(1991-08-29)August 29, 1991 (aged 28)	2019	Stabæk	8	1
Forwards
5	Jordan Hamilton		ST	(1996-03-17)March 17, 1996 (aged 23)	2019	Toronto FC	4	0
11	Gyasi Zardes		ST	(1991-09-02)September 2, 1991 (aged 28)	2018	LA Galaxy	64	33
17	Romario Williams		ST	(1994-08-15)August 15, 1994 (aged 25)	2019	Atlanta United FC	7	1
Out on loan
12	Ben Lundgaard		GK	(1995-09-02)September 2, 1995 (aged 24)	2018	Virginia Tech Hokies	0	0
27	Edward Opoku		MF	(1996-08-01)August 1, 1996 (aged 23)	2018	Virginia Cavaliers	6	0
33	JJ Williams		ST	(1998-01-04)January 4, 1998 (aged 21)	2019	Kentucky Wildcats	9	0
—	Lalas Abubakar		CB	(1994-12-25)December 25, 1994 (aged 24)	2017	Dayton Flyers	36	2
	Chris Cadden		DF	(1996-09-19)September 19, 1996 (aged 23)	2019	Motherwell	0	0

Federico Higuaín entered the season with 196 career appearances for Crew SC, good for eighth place all-time, and 58 goals for the club, good for third place. In order to move up the charts in each category, he needed to appear in four matches and score 17 goals.^[26] He appeared for the fourth time on the season on March 23, moving up the charts in the Crew's defeat against Philadelphia Union.^[27]

Justin Meram also came into the 2019 season sitting in the top ten in club history in both appearances and goals: his 225 appearances were good for fifth place in club history, and his 43 goals were good for sixth. In order to move up, Meram needed to play in 17 games and score 10 goals.^[26] He was traded on May 7, however, after playing just nine matches without scoring, departing without moving up in either category.^[28]

Club captain Wil Trapp was tenth place in club history in appearances coming into the season, with 177 games played for the Crew. In order to move up, he needed to appear at least 11 times in all competitions.^[26] Trapp made his 11th appearance on May 8, starting in the club's victory against LA Galaxy.^[29]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	CUW	Eloy Room	12	0	12	0	0	0
2	MF	USA	Luis Argudo	23	1	10+11	1	1+1	0
3	DF	USA	Josh Williams	16	2	15+1	2	0	0
4	DF	GHA	Jonathan Mensah	24	0	23+1	0	0	0
5	FW	CAN	Jordan Hamilton	4	0	0+4	0	0	0
6	MF	USA	Wil Trapp	28	0	26+2	0	0	0
7	MF	POR	Pedro Santos	35	11	30+3	11	2	0
8	MF	BRA	Artur	32	0	28+2	0	2	0
9	MF	CRC	David Guzmán	18	0	13+3	0	2	0
10	MF	ARG	Federico Higuaín	14	1	13+1	1	0	0
11	FW	USA	Gyasi Zardes	28	13	28	13	0	0
12	GK	USA	Ben Lundgaard	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	MF	USA	Ricardo Clark	7	0	4+3	0	0	0
14	DF	CRC	Waylon Francis	18	0	16+1	0	0+1	0
16	MF	USA	Hector Jiménez	25	1	19+4	1	2	0
17	FW	JAM	Romario Williams	7	1	1+6	1	0	0
18	MF	CRC	Luis Díaz	13	2	9+4	2	0	0
19	DF	ARG	Milton Valenzuela	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	MF	VEN	Eduardo Sosa	8	0	4+4	0	0	0
21	DF	USA	Alex Crognale	14	0	9+3	0	2	0
24	GK	USA	Jon Kempin	5	0	3	0	2	0
25	DF	GHA	Harrison Afful	24	0	22	0	2	0
27	MF	GHA	Edward Opoku	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	MF	GHA	David Accam	17	4	8+7	2	2	2
30	DF	USA	Aboubacar Keita	10	0	8+2	0	0	0
31	DF	USA	Connor Maloney	11	0	9+1	0	0+1	0
33	FW	USA	JJ Williams	9	0	3+4	0	0+2	0
34	MF	MAR	Youness Mokhtar	8	1	5+3	1	0	0
—	DF	GHA	Lalas Abubakar	1	0	1	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Chris Cadden	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
1	GK	USA	Joe Bendik	6	0	6	0	0	0
9	MF	IRQ	Justin Meram	9	0	4+5	0	0	0
18	MF	BRA	Robinho	21	0	13+6	0	1+1	0
22	DF	ARG	Gastón Sauro	17	2	15	2	2	0
23	GK	USA	Zack Steffen	13	0	13	0	0	0
28	MF	DEN	Niko Hansen	9	0	2+7	0	0	0
32	FW	USA	Patrick Mullins	11	0	2+7	0	2	0

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS		U.S. Open Cup		Total
1	GK	Eloy Room	1	0	0	0	1	0
2	MF	Luis Argudo	1	0	0	0	1	0
3	DF	Josh Williams	2	0	0	0	2	0
4	DF	Jonathan Mensah	6	0	0	0	6	0
6	MF	Wil Trapp	5	0	0	0	5	0
7	MF	Pedro Santos	7	0	0	0	7	0
8	MF	Artur	4	0	0	0	4	0
9	MF	David Guzmán	6	0	1	0	7	0
10	MF	Federico Higuaín	2	0	0	0	2	0
14	DF	Waylon Francis	3	0	0	0	3	0
16	MF	Hector Jiménez	1	0	0	0	1	0
18	MF	Luis Díaz	1	0	0	0	1	0
20	MF	Eduardo Sosa	1	0	0	0	1	0
21	DF	Alex Crognale	5	0	1	0	6	0
25	DF	Harrison Afful	3	1	1	0	4	1
29	MF	David Accam	1	0	0	0	1	0
31	DF	Connor Maloney	1	0	0	0	1	0
34	MF	Youness Mokhtar	1	0	0	0	1	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
22	DF	Gastón Sauro	4	0	0	0	4	0
23	GK	Zack Steffen	1	0	0	0	1	0
28	MF	Niko Hansen	1	0	0	0	1	0
32	FW	Patrick Mullins	0	0	1	0	1	0

Zack Steffen came into the season with the fifth-most shutouts in club history, keeping 22 through his first three seasons with the club. In order to move up on the all-time charts, he needed to keep two clean sheets in 2019.^[26] Steffen accomplished that mark in just three matches, moving up the chart following a clean sheet against FC Dallas on March 16.^[30]

No.	Name	MLS	U.S. Open Cup	Total	Games Played
		1	Eloy Room	1	0	1	12
12	Ben Lundgaard	0	0	0	0
24	Jon Kempin	0	1	1	5
Players who left Columbus during the season:
1	Joe Bendik	0	0	0	6
23	Zack Steffen	4	0	4	13

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
DF	Milton Valenzuela	Newell's Old Boys	Completed permanent transfer. Signed as a Young Designated Player.	Dec 21, 2018	[31]
GK	Joe Bendik	Orlando City SC	Orlando receives $50,000 in targeted allocation money.	Dec 27, 2018	[32]
FW	JJ Williams	Kentucky Wildcats	Selected in the First Round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Signed as a Generation Adidas player.	Jan 11, 2019	[33]
MF	Robinho	Ceará	Ceará receives an undisclosed transfer fee.	Jan 18, 2019	[34]
DF	Aboubacar Keita	Virginia Cavaliers	Signed as a Homegrown Player.	Jan 22, 2019	[35]
DF	Waylon Francis	Seattle Sounders FC	Seattle receives $50,000 in general allocation money.	Feb 5, 2019	[36]
MF	David Guzmán	Portland Timbers	Portland receives a 2019 International Roster Spot.	May 7, 2019	[37]
MF	David Accam	Philadelphia Union	Philadelphia receives $500,000 in allocation money, a 2019 International Roster Spot.	May 8, 2019	[38]
FW	Romario Williams	Atlanta United FC	Atlanta receives $100,000 in general allocation money.	Jul 1, 2019	[39]
MF	Luis Díaz	Herediano	Herediano receives a $1,000,000 transfer fee. Signed as a Young Designated Player.	Jul 2, 2019	[40]
GK	Eloy Room	PSV	Signed as a free agent.	Jul 5, 2019	[41]
FW	Jordan Hamilton	Toronto FC	Toronto receives FW Patrick Mullins.	Jul 11, 2019	[42]
MF	Youness Mokhtar	Stabæk	Signed as a free agent.	Jul 19, 2019	[43]
DF	Chris Cadden	Motherwell	Terms of the deal were undisclosed.	Jul 23, 2019	[44]

The following players were selected by Columbus in the MLS SuperDraft, but did not sign a contract with the club. Crew SC passed with the 91st overall pick.^[45]

Pos.	Player	College	Notes	Date	Source
FW	Justin Donawa	Dartmouth Big Green	Selected in the Third Round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Signed for   Darlington on Jul 29, 2019.	Jan 14, 2019	[46][47]
MF	Rafael Mentzingen	Valparaiso Crusaders	Selected in the Fourth Round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Signed for   Lansing Ignite on Dec 14, 2018.	Jan 14, 2019	[46][48]

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
MF	Mike Grella		Option declined. Retired.	Nov 26, 2018	[49][50]
FW	Adam Jahn	Phoenix Rising	Option declined. Signed for Phoenix on Dec 10, 2018.	Nov 26, 2018	[49][51]
GK	Logan Ketterer	El Paso Locomotive	Option declined. Signed for El Paso on Jan 18, 2019.	Nov 26, 2018	[49][52]
MF	Cristian Martínez	Chicago Fire	Option declined. Selected by Chicago in the 2018 MLS Waiver Draft.	Nov 26, 2018	[49][53]
MF	Justin Meram	Atlanta United FC	Columbus receives $100,000 in general allocation money, a second round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, future considerations.	May 7, 2019	[28]
GK	Zack Steffen	Manchester City	Columbus receives a £7,000,000 transfer fee.	Jul 9, 2019	[54]
MF	Robinho	Orlando City SC	Columbus receives $50,000 in targeted allocation money, future considerations.	Jul 11, 2019	[55]
FW	Patrick Mullins	Toronto FC	Columbus receives FW Jordan Hamilton, $50,000 in targeted allocation money, a 2019 International Roster Spot, future considerations.	Jul 11, 2019	[42]
GK	Joe Bendik	Philadelphia Union	Columbus receives a second round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, future considerations.	Jul 19, 2019	[56]
DF	Gastón Sauro	Toluca	Columbus receives an undisclosed transfer fee.	Aug 7, 2019	[57]
MF	Niko Hansen	Houston Dynamo	Columbus receives $75,000 in targeted allocation money.	Aug 8, 2019	[58]

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
DF	Aboubacar Keita	Richmond Kickers	On a match-by-match basis.	Mar 6, 2019	Jun 23, 2019	[59][60]
GK	Ben Lundgaard	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	On a match-by-match basis.	Mar 6, 2019	Jun 21, 2019	[59][61]
				Oct 7, 2019	Nov 3, 2019	[62]
DF	Alex Crognale	Indy Eleven	On a match-by-match basis.	Mar 15, 2019	May 11, 2019	[63][64]
MF	Edward Opoku	Birmingham Legion	On a match-by-match basis.	Mar 22, 2019		[65]
MF	Luis Argudo	Hartford Athletic	On a match-by-match basis.	Apr 11, 2019	Apr 23, 2019	[66][67]
GK	Jon Kempin	Hartford Athletic	On a match-by-match basis.	Apr 11, 2019	Apr 23, 2019	[66][67]
FW	JJ Williams	Birmingham Legion	On a match-by-match basis.	Apr 12, 2019	Apr 20, 2019	[66][68]
				May 9, 2019	Jun 23, 2019	[69][60]
				Jul 13, 2019		[70]
DF	Lalas Abubakar	Colorado Rapids	Remainder of the 2019 Major League Soccer season. Columbus receives $125,000 in targeted allocation money.	May 8, 2019		[71]
DF	Chris Cadden	Oxford United	Remainder of the 2019 Major League Soccer season.	Jul 23, 2019		[44]